Camelot
by GravisPen
Summary: When one lonely Catholic, the last of his kind, wants people to be like him, he reaches back to the 1500s, fighting to prevent Arthur's death, the Doctor must step in to stop the course of history changing. Forever. FULL summary inside.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Any characters you recognise do not belong to me, and likewise nor do the historical figures or recognisable science-y things like the TARDIS. Everything else however comes from my head. The characters of Catalina/Catherine and Arthur are based on "The Constant Princess" by _Philippa Gregory._

**Full Summary: **Catalina was always destined to marry Arthur, the future King of England, not his brother, soon to become Henry VIII. Arthur's death changed history, leading England to the King that would make them leave the Catholic Church. But when one lonely Catholic, the last of his kind, wants more people to understand his faith, he reaches back to the 1500s, fighting to prevent Arthur's death, the Doctor must step in to stop the course of history changing. Forever.

_Prologue_

The young couple curled together in front of the fire, their hands entwined. They were alone in Catalina's chambers as they had been many times before, unbeknownst to the other inhabitants of the castle. The fire was flickering, close to going out. Catalina stretched her legs, moving her feet close to the flames to grasp the final bit of heat from the dying light. Her husband shifted, supporting her gently.

He changed his mind and gathered her close to him, folding his arms around her as though he couldn't bear to let her go – which indeed he couldn't. In her turn, she twisted so her lips touched his neck, kissing it softly. He could barely feel her touch. Without talking, they lay back together on the cushions surrounding them, as though they could read each other's thoughts.

Dark brown hair shimmered around her shoulders, matching the eyes that glinted, warm but steely. He was her opposite, with light blonde hair, bright blue eyes and the Tudor smile. A match made to empower England and make them allies to the powerful Catholic Spain, had ended in a match built on mutual respect that turned into love and understanding.

Of course, this was no ordinary couple. This was Catalina de Aragon, Infanta of Spain, and Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales. Arthur's death would change the future of England forever.

So would his survival.

**A/N:** Just in case anyone interprets the summary differently to how I mean it, this story is not anti-Catholic in any way, it's just an exploration of what might have happened if Arthur had lived and England had never broken with Rome etc. I just wanted to get that out of the way. Just in case!


	2. Peregrinus

_Chapter 1: __Peregrinus_

"Here we are! Sixteenth century England, a few years after the Wars of the Roses. Henry VII is on the throne of England, with two sons, Arthur and Henry. His mother is strong and powerful. His wife isn't. They have a couple of daughters as well, but as is traditional with the English throne, they are ignored and married off to give England stronger allies. Margaret is the first child of Henry and his wife, Elizabeth of York – see, they made a match for power, not love – and she is married off to James IV of Scotland. Mary was..." He trailed off at the look from Martha. "Was I doing it again?"

His assistant nodded.

"Sorry." He patted her arm jovially. "And this, Martha, is Ludlow Castle. Home of Arthur, Prince of Wales, and his lovely bride, Catalina de Aragon. Or as the English know her, Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England."

Martha grinned at the Doctor. "Really? We're actually going to meet Catherine of Aragon." She ran to the Tardis door and pushed it open eagerly.

"Martha, stop acting as though you've never done this before!"

Martha turned back and slid the door shut behind her. "Sorry." She stepped away from the door, swinging her arms enthusiastically, practically skipping. "Doctor?" He raised an eyebrow. "Can I please wear one of the dresses?"

"Martha!" The Doctor's brow wrinkled in disbelief. "You know there's no need. They won't take any notice of what you're wearing, they never do." He moved away from the Tardis controls and patted his pocket to make sure he had everything he needed. He held out his hand. Martha took it.

"Martha Jones," he smiled. "Let's meet the future queen of England."

* * *

"I find your Spanish name so beautiful." Arthur twisted a strand of her hair around his fingers, caressing her cheek at the same time. "Catalina." He smiled at her and disentangled his fingers. They moved again on the bed and he put his arm loosely around her shoulders as they sat up.

She smiled at him; her brown eyes as soft and warm as always. Previously they had been hard and cold, at least to him. But they had learned to love each other, quicker than their parents, and quicker than their parents' parents. They'd fallen into the tumbles of first love, and luckily for them, that first love was true.

They kissed good morning, and Arthur rose from the bed, grabbing his robe and pulling it round him. "I'll be off back to my own rooms now, my love." He kissed her forehead and winked, grinning. "I'll see you at breakfast."

Catalina smiled dreamily to herself as she felt the imprint of his kiss remain on her forehead. Her duenna would come in soon, but she had a few moments to remember the man who had loved her the night before. She pushed the blankets down and turned so her feet were on the floor. She stood and stretched leisurely. Catalina, Infanta of Spain and Princess of Wales, was said to be one of the most beautiful people in the world. She herself didn't believe it was true; she thought that her mother, Isabella, was the most beautiful. But it was on mornings like this, after seeing Arthur overnight, that she felt truly beautiful. Every morning, she felt truly beautiful.

Her shift fell below her knees and she brushed it down. She carefully brushed her hair into the same shape it had been the previous night, avoiding the suspicions of Dona Elvira. According to her duenna and her attendants, Arthur came formally to her room once a week. According to the young lovers, Arthur came informally to her room every night, so the two could learn more about each other and the countries they loved.

Hearing her attendants waking, Catalina rolled back into bed, giving her hair a suitably "slept-on" look. She pulled the covers over herself, curling her body tightly together, and folded her hands together, resting her cheek upon them. She closed her eyes and allowed a small smile onto her face, as though she was dreaming of better things than cold and rainy Wales.

* * *

The Doctor and Martha walked briskly down the back stairs of Ludlow Castle, aiming to leave without anyone noticing, and enter through the front door as Lord and Lady... something. (They would get to that bit later). Flattened against a wall, they watched a maidservant pass them with a tray of silver, and ran in the direction she had come from.

A rickety wooden door led them to the castle grounds. The Doctor examined it thoughtfully. "Last time I was here, this door was in exactly the same condition. The Tudors. Typical. Never fix anything!"

"Last time you were here?" Martha exhaled, winded from running. "That's not fair; you can't have already been here! Not as fun." She poked the Doctor in the ribs. "When were you last here?"

The Doctor considered. "Probably about 1402. Edmund Mortimer – nice man, bad name though – was defeated at the Battle of Bryn Glas after setting out from here. Shame he lost." He looked at Martha. "It's 1501 now, so I haven't really experienced the Tudors. Well, not with this face."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I can let you off then, Doctor."

He led her through the castle grounds at a run, as always, and she panted behind him, as always. After a long run, he slowed to a walk and began to point things out to Martha.

"That window – there, you see it – is the window of Prince Arthur's room." He checked his watch. "Where, right now, he's probably just getting up, having visited his beautiful bride overnight and stolen back to his chambers through the connected passage, there." He pointed at the stretch of castle that connected two chambers. "And by clever deduction, that room there-" Another point. "-must therefore be that of Catherine of Aragon."

"Is it true then, that they saw each other every night?"

"No idea!" The Doctor said happily. "Quite possibly. It's one of my favourite romantic tales. Of course, Arthur dies which is why Catherine marries Henry, but for the years they were married, they were very sweet."

They continued on at a slower pace, and finally came to the great front door of the palace. They approached the guard and the Doctor pulled out his psychic paper, adopting a suitably snooty look and holding his arm out to Martha. The guard looked at the paper and jumped back into a bow. "Lord and Lady Doctor of Norfolk." He smiled a welcoming smile. "Are you expected?"

The Doctor shook his head. "We thought we'd surprise the Prince and his new bride." He grinned, dropping the suitably snooty look. "He's not expecting us." A trouble-maker's smirk was on the Doctor's face. Martha took the chance to stop him from winding the guard up.

"If you could just show us to the Great Hall so we can break our fast, it would be very helpful."

The guard bowed again and the grand doors were opened for the Doctor and his companion. He led the way, taking no time for big gestures, wanting only to get back outside in the rare sunshine. The Doctor leant close to Martha's ear.

"How on earth did you do that?"

"I've been reading up on the etiquette of various periods in time, just in case. It's a book in your library somewhere." She laughed. "Just kidding. I like Harry Potter."

The guard coughed politely. "Lord and Lady Doctor?" Yet another bow. "We are here." He gestured to the archway before them. "I can't go in until the Prince and Princess have had their meal. But esteemed guests may, of course."

The Doctor smiled at the man and thanked him, handing him a gold coin that had somehow appeared from nowhere. The guard bowed. "Thank you kindly, Sir. Lord. If ever you need anything in the castle, please ask for Thomas Stonesmith." He smiled and turned quickly, heading back to his post at the doors of Ludlow Castle.

The Doctor watched him go, considering something. Martha waited, knowing the Doctor's way of working. He turned to her and grinned. "I've never been Lord Doctor before."

Martha rolled her eyes, amused. "Are we going in?"

"We are, Martha Jones." He took her arm. "Let us break our fast, my Lady."

Martha giggled. "My Lord."

_If only you knew._


End file.
